Beach Closures & Advisories In US Reach 2nd-Highest Level In 20 Years

"Before you head to the beach this Fourth of July weekend, no doubt you will check the forecast for any impending bad weather. But to avoid some potentially worse spoilers -- such as a bout of diarrhea or a nasty skin rash -- you might also want to consider consulting another report.

According to the National Resource Defense Council's (NRDC) "Testing of the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches" annual survey, the number of beach closures and advisories in the U.S. reached the second-highest level in more than 20 years at 24,091 days.

The report, released Wednesday by the nonprofit environmental organization, notes that 8 percent of monitoring samples from more than 3,000 beaches in 30 coastal and Great Lakes states exceeded public health standards in 2010. In two-thirds of the cases, bacterial contamination was to blame."

Lynne Peeples reports for the Huffington Post June 29, 2011.

SEE ALSO:

"Beaches to Avoid This July 4th" (Mother Jones)

"Testing the Waters 2011" (NRDC)

"Illinois Beach Water Ranks Among Worst in Nation, Study Finds" (Chicago Sun-Times)

"Contamination Still a Big Problem for U.S. Beaches" (Reuters)

"Report: N.J. Has Second-Best Beach Water Quality in Nation" (Newark Star-Ledger)

"Report: Collies Help Reduce Beach Water Contamination" (Chicago Tribune)

"Florida's Beaches Rank 6th in Clean Beach Report"(McClatchy/Miami Herald)

"U.S. Polluted Beach Closings, Warnings Spiked in 2010" (ENS)